| Description |
America has a lengthy history with irregular warfare. The nation was born of an insurgency and remained committed to such conflict over the centuries, from the American Revolution in the eighteenth century, the Indian Wars in the nineteenth century, the Philippines in the twentieth century, and Iraq and Afghanistan in the twentieth-first century. Although the U.S. has learned a great deal from centuries of fighting irregular war, the lessons were continuously learned and forgotten, indicating America‘s distaste of such conflict. Yet, as America continues to fight irregular wars, doctrine and policy have taken shape. However, whereas doctrine and policy may exist, our practices remain very similar to the past, often involving inconsistent and ad hoc measures. Yet, new methodology emerged which takes ?best practices? from centuries of irregular war. This methodology calls for a fundamental change in how the U.S. approaches irregular war, illustrating the need to focus on local level instability and conflict drivers. Further, this methodology not only can be employed in the field of conflict, but also can help mitigate conflict before it becomes war. In order to learn from America‘s history in irregular war, and embrace methodology based on historical ?best practices,? America must move from merely changing its policy to changing how it practices irregular conflict. Dedicated to my wife, Hamida Alexander, for enduring my days and nights away while she tirelessly performed the bulk of the parenting. |
